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City board plan to have new man in place before Saturday’s trip to league leaders Bournemouth

5th January 2015 By Mick Dennis 14 Comments

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The Norwich board hope and expect to have a new manager in place before Saturday’s trip to Championship leaders Bournemouth.

But Mike Phelan is not a shoo-in for the job. He was not appointed with a view to his replacing Neil Adams and, now that Adams has resigned, Phelan will be just one of the candidates considered.

There is no deadline, but the importance of Saturday’s fixture is understood by those making the decision.

They also understand that they stand accused of getting it wrong with Adams – but throughout the game most managerial reigns end in failure. According to research, of all managers in the top four divisions since 1972, 64 per cent lost more games than they won.

So chief executive David McNally must seek to buck the national, long-term trend by appointing a winner this time.

The discussion with McNally which led to the resignation of Adams began with anxiety on both sides about the “no-show” at League One Preston in the FA Cup on Saturday.

But it ended with a handshake and there is a genuine hope that Adams will return to the club next season – although nobody has given serious consideration yet to what role he could take.

One can sense the hand of Delia Smith and Michael Wynn Jones in the offer to Adams of a possible return. And we can be certain they were moved by the sight of a thousand weary and forlorn supporters at Preston.

Of all the accusations which have been flung around in recent weeks, the suggestion that those in senior positions “don’t care” is the most preposterous.

Delia and Michael shared the depression provoked by yet another flaccid Cup performance, not least because Adams had assured the board that he would “go for it” at Deepdale. Although he made four changes, Preston made five. The Norwich team was strong enough on paper. But on grass, it proved paper-thin.

Delia and Michael have stepped back from the day-to-day business of the club since the current board and CEO were appointed in the summer of 2009.

And so it must have been McNally who led the inquest into the dismal Preston disappointment and assessed whether it was one more symptom of a deeper and disturbing malaise.

McNally’s normal modus operandi is to consult senior players. He ignores extreme opinions – from those who are just angry about not being in the team, and from those who always make loyal noises – but seeks to gauge the consensus of the sensible. Then he asks the manager what plans there are to address flaws or failings.

Did Neeyul jump, or was he pushed? It doesn’t really matter. If Adams chose to walk the plank, McNally certainly didn’t try to stop him.

Last season’s events counted against Adams. The perception that Chris Hughton should have gone sooner, and the belief among a sizeable number of fans that Adams was the wrong replacement, have made some supporters quick to boo this term.

That’s not a criticism. It’s a fact. And nobody on the board wants this season undermined by a volatile mood among supporters.

It’s definitely true, too, that Adams made tactical mistakes. If Hughton was too cautious, then Adams was far too gung-ho. I still wince at the memory of us chasing a win at Nottingham Forest and leaving ourselves open to the late defeat.

There haven’t been many bad performances. Three poor away displays – at Wolves, Middlesbrough and Reading – is not too many in a division in which, as the cliché declaims, “anyone can beat anyone”.

But at times it looked as if we couldn’t beat anyone at Carrow Road, where, until the arrival of Phelan, our men stormed forward with a cavalier disregard of how vulnerable it made us to breakaways. “Never mind the danger” is a line in a song, not a creed.

The unexpected upsurge at the Town who failed to become a City has helped underline the decline and not helped Adams. Let’s hope that upturn is unsustainable.

And there is still time to ensure that, when Adams returns in the summer, he is rejoining a Premier League club.


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Filed Under: Column, Mick Dennis

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Comments

  1. GazzaTCC says

    5th January 2015 at 7:01 pm

    At least Neil has done the honourable thing and resigned.

    Those I’ve spoken to outside the club can’t believe he’s gone, given our relatively strong position in the Championship. They find it hard to understand the unrest from supporters. However, something needed to change and we can only hope that the change happens quickly and is effective.

    Reply
  2. Richard says

    5th January 2015 at 7:03 pm

    Two questios Mick;
    Who would be on your short list?
    Will Phelan stay if he does not get the top job?

    Reply
  3. Steve says

    5th January 2015 at 7:31 pm

    The Town is called Ipswich Mick. It’s a shame you are so pathetic and so small minded that it pains you to say so. Never mind you are just as deluded as the rest of the Norwich supporters, who some how think they have some devine right to be in the premiership. Oh and that town that failed to become a city has won more silverware than your so called city can ever dream about !

    Reply
  4. Ian says

    5th January 2015 at 7:40 pm

    Good piece as usual, but if you’re looking for experience, and someone not already in work, that leave Neil Warnock…..

    Reply
  5. Brill Stepshort says

    5th January 2015 at 8:08 pm

    Steve – this is a Norwich City forum, so obviously there is a bias against our derby rivals. We might not have a right to be in the Premiership, but at least we know how to spell divine…

    Reply
  6. Dave B says

    5th January 2015 at 8:25 pm

    I hope this team we can stop the nonsense of limiting our search to only those out of a job. We’ve poached in the past, no reason we can’t do it now.

    Reply
  7. Trevor says

    5th January 2015 at 8:55 pm

    Nice insight Mick. If the idea is to appoint a manager by this weekend, Mcnally must have had a good idea who was needed before Adams resigned. Phelan would be a massive call and worries me. Otbc.

    Reply
  8. Mike says

    5th January 2015 at 9:22 pm

    Good article. I’d like to see McCarthy given the job, sure he love the challenge of a better squad and a bigger club
    Ps Steve – hi Bloots back on a City site AGAIN… Sad

    Reply
  9. The General says

    5th January 2015 at 9:39 pm

    First of all Steve stop talking about 30yrs ago you have been in our shadows so long I cannot remember enjoy what you have now it will not last. Oh one little point we are debt free you owe £90m and only got head above water because Evans guarantees your payments each month but the interest is still piling up, you need PL but won’t get it we can survive because we have full seats every match in whatever league we are in that is proven FACT you are in promotion spot still can’t sell your tickets.

    Now for new manager they need to take there time and get it right trust me there will plenty of applicants good and bad and some maybe working but we are a club if we are ambitious enough can attract some good applicants.

    Lastly I would like to thank Neil Adams for doing the right thing in the best interest of the club why because he loves Norwich City and only want the best for them, it takes a true man to stand up and give his livelihood away and I can only thank him for that and hope the club will look after him so we still see him around Carrow Road in some capacity

    Reply
  10. Paul says

    5th January 2015 at 9:39 pm

    @ Dave B (6) – in fairness, both Lambert and Hughton were poached from another club. One was a success and the other a disaster. Adams, who was not just out of a managerial job but already at Carrow Road, is actually the odd one out of three appointments made by McNally (who was not involved in the selection of Gunn and as far as I’m aware, was eager to get shot of Gunn asap after he arrived at CR).

    Reply
  11. iwans toothy grin says

    5th January 2015 at 9:51 pm

    I think Neils position became apparent with the appointment of Phelan. Would he have really come to “little Norwich” when I’m sure that he would have got treble the money at a prem side for just being a No2? Its obvious the incentive was to become manager. Poor Neil, seems like the writing was on wall already there. Tactics? questionable, knowledge? limited. Passion, desire, commitment and loyalty? In abundance!!Just sadly in this day and age that is not enough.

    See you in July Neil! I’m sure I’m not the only one who will welcome you back.

    Youre still a legend and thanks for trying.

    Reply
  12. Douglas Millar says

    5th January 2015 at 10:12 pm

    It was a sorry saga which led to Neil Adams being appointed acting manager and then permanently simply because the Board could not find better at the time. His lack of experience made it inevitable that he would have to go once the early season success dissipated.

    In the summer, the Board seemed set on Mackay or Lennon. Mackay was “out of bounds” but Lennon was not appointed yet he has already shown at Bolton that he can get a club onto a better footing. If Phelan is given the job, let it happen quickly so that it doesn’t appear that he is appointed after others have turned us down.

    We have deluded ourselves that we have the best squad in the division. Yet other teams, notably Bournemouth and Middlesborough, are playing better football.

    Why have Turner, and many others seemed to be playing worse than in the Premier League. Only Martin, Olsson, Howson and Jerome have performed consistently. It has been a sad observation that a player as slow and limited as Bradley Johnson has been a “star ” in our team.

    The talent is there if only Phelan or a new manager can harness it to a winning formula. OTBC

    Reply
  13. cobwatch says

    5th January 2015 at 11:37 pm

    We can spell divine,but today’s Pink’Un headline was embarrassing,Archant really boobed this time…Neil Adams resignation has saved the club money and lessened the attention elsewhere,an honourable Norwich man who deserves to return after a break. Why is everyone so big on McNally? He takes a HUGE WAGE and continues to make fundamental errors. 1)made a pig’s ear of the Lambert departure 2)tardy in removing Houghton 3)rushed to gamble on Adams 4)rushed to remove Adams (who wasn’t a disaster)-probably as an over-reaction to the afore-mentioned Houghton situation. The over-rated players are highly culpable in Adams demise and whoever steps in now
    needs to sort the chaff from the (small pile of) wheat.

    Reply
  14. Phil Keenam says

    6th January 2015 at 12:22 pm

    And so Neil disappears on extended gardening leave,
    Phelan is left to pick up the yellow and green pieces,
    A collapse at Bournemouth is not hard to conceive,
    The season nosedives – playoff chance duly decreases.

    Reply

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